


Before the Fall

by fuzzyizmit



Series: Beastly Kingdom Saga [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Abuse, Child Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-War, Pre-War United States (Fallout), Tags Contain Spoilers, Tags May Change, spousal abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:34:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29921103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzyizmit/pseuds/fuzzyizmit
Summary: Beth's idyllic family and home is shattered by a horrific realization.
Series: Beastly Kingdom Saga [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2200371





	Before the Fall

**Author's Note:**

> This is a small prequel to Beastly Kingdom set before the bombs fell over the Boston Commonwealth.

Photo by **[Elle Hughes](https://www.pexels.com/@elletakesphotos?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels)** from **[Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/coffee-machine-served-on-table-with-cup-4424674/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels)**

Beth stared at the bathroom mirror’s reflection, studying her hair line.

“Got to get that taken care of, soon,” she thought, frowning at the beginnings bright blond showing below the sensible brown. Blake was sure to start making comments if he noticed. She could almost hear the words in her head.

_Only bimbos and whores have blond hair. Which one are you?_

Beth made a mental note to call Janet and schedule a hair appointment. Straightening her dress, she returned to the kitchen. As she washed the breakfast dishes, she watched Louis. Even though he just sat under a large tree by the playground, just seeing him made her heart lighter, just like it had for the past seven years. Their little family was finally complete, the picture-perfect home, just like they had always wanted.

Setting the dried dishes in their place, Beth called Janet, her trusted hairdresser. She ended up leaving a message with the desk gal, reminding her that she could only make it on a Tuesday late in the day so Blake could drop her off and her mom could pick her up. Ever since they sold her old sedan, it was so hard to get out, but Blake’s argument that the extra money they saved by not paying the insurance made a lot of sense.

_That old jalopy won’t fit in the driveway, and it is tacky as hell to just park it out on the street._

She didn’t really need it, she supposed. Blake could just drive her when he had the time, when he wasn’t working. At least her mom could still get around enough to help out when she could, even though she lived clear across town.

Looking around the spotless living room, she sighed. With Louis spending so much time outside during the summer break, there was so little to do but straighten what she already straightened earlier in the morning. She knew, once he got inside for dinner the tide would turn, but for now, everything was in its place. Beth poked her head into Louis’s bedroom, checking it over. His bed was unmade… again. Like clockwork, she got to work. Within minutes, Beth was hand pressing out the wrinkles from the truck printed duvet flat on the twin mattress, Louis’s pillow fluffed lovingly at the head of the bed.

Nostalgia swept over her as she took in her little boy’s room. In the corner, a set of alphabet blocks sat gathering dust. A stuffed green dinosaur perched on a shelf, surveying its whole play-world. The days of Louis being her little boy was quickly coming to an end. Already this summer, Blake had been taking him out, doing father-son things with him nearly every weekend, leaving her to take care of the house by herself.

Turning to leave, Beth noticed some comic books piled on a dresser. As soon as Louis had learned to read, he devoured every book he could get his hands on. Blake has been giving Louis comic books periodically for years now, but several of the last few gifts on top stood out… their covers pristine and uncreased, their spines uncracked. Strange. She thoughtfully ran her finger over the colorful characters before returning to the living room.

Beth debated on relaxing on the couch before she remembered a chore that she had been putting off. She tied her hair back before stepping outside. Slipping on a pair of worn gardening gloves, she carefully placed a watering can under the faucet and filled it. If she waited too long between watering Blake’s geraniums, they would begin to wilt. Given that the bright purple and pink flowers ringed the entire house, it became quite the problem.

It took quite a few trips back to the spigot, but eventually Beth worked her way around to each bush, pinching off dead flowers and the occasional damaged leaf as she went. She had to hold her breath as she drew close to the plants, the smell driving her nose wild. The plants were a one-two punch. Not only did she find their smell off putting, but the pollen mildly irritated her sinuses.

Finishing in the back of the house, Beth put the watering can down and stretched her aching back muscles.

“Hey there, Beth! Nice to see you outside on this fine day!” called Mrs. Summer from behind the white picket fence, giving her a friendly wave.

Beth smiled and walked to the fence line. “It is a nice day, isn’t it?” Beth whipped her brow. “Should be a great weekend, too. Blake is taking Louis on a fishing trip tomorrow. He’s been planning this for a month now, rented a boat and everything. Perfect weather for it.”

“Oh, how wonderful. It’s so nice to see your husband taking such an active role in your little boy’s life. It was like pulling teeth to get John to take in interest in such things when my kiddos were young.” The older woman waved a hand at the old memories. “I noticed your roses. They are looking positively beautiful, deary! Have you been using eggshells like I told you?”

Beth turned to look at the single rosebush planted at the back of the house. “Oh yes! That did the trick! You have quite the green thumb, Agnes.” Bright white blooms peppered the dark green leaves.

“They’d do even better out front. Back here, well, there just isn’t enough light for them.”

“And dig up some of Blake’s geraniums? Oh, no. Back here will do just fine for them.”

“Either way, they are getting quite tall. Pretty soon, those big blooms are going to tip right over. You better get some kind of trellis in the ground before they get run over by the lawn mower!”

“Thanks for reminding me. Blake finally cut up that old rebar for me after I ribbed him about it for the hundredth time.” She gave Agnes a nod. “I should get started on that. If I’m lucky, I can finish with enough time to clean up and start dinner before the boss gets home.”

“I’ll leave you too it, then. Have a good one!”

“Say ‘hi’ to John for me, will you?”

The pair waved and walked back to their respective homes. In the carport, Beth found the three lengths of rebar laying on the workbench and a heavy hammer. It took quite a bit of work, but she eventually got them securely staked into the ground. She hoped Blake would not be too angry at her. The bars were not cut flush, their angled ends digging into the metal head in places.

After a quick shower, Beth called Louis home as she started dinner. Dropping his shoes at the back porch, Beth quickly inspected him.

“Go wash your hands and face before your father gets home. Dinner should be ready in twenty minutes.”

Louis nodded and trudged off down the hall as Beth poured a packet of noodles into a pot of boiling water. The Salisbury steaks were coming out of the oven when Beth could hear tires grinding the gravel on the driveway.

“Hi, Honey!” Beth greeted Blake with a kiss on the cheek as he opened the door. “Dinner is just about ready.”

He handed her his briefcase and jacket. “Steak tonight?”

“Of course… and Mac and cheese for Louis.”

“You spoil the kid.” Her husband frowned.

“He’s been playing outside all day. He needs the energy to have fun.”

“He needs to eat his meat like a real man… and where is my boy?” Blake looked around.

As if on cue, Louis walked out of his bedroom towards the kitchen.

“Hey, Dad.” He smiled, but his eyes quickly darted back to the floor under the brim of his hat.

“Hi there, Kiddo! You getting excited about our little trip tomorrow?”

The boy nodded. The timer on the stove rang.

“Dinner’s ready!” Beth sang, swinging back into kitchen to extract the hot steaks from the oven, resting them on the counter as she mixed the cheese powder into the waiting noodles in a cheery yellow bowl. The rest of the family was already sitting at the table waiting as she placed their plates in front of them.

Before they could get started, Blake chided his child, “Am I seeing a hat at the dining room table?”

Louis sheepishly pulled the baseball cap off his head, hiding it in his lap. “Sorry, Dad.”

Dinner continued with Blake recounting his day at the work, including the new office girl’s tendency to bend over at the water cooler across from the manager’s office.

“You know champ, you’re going to have to do better than that if you want any dessert.” Blake poked his fork in his son’s direction for emphasis.

Louis pushed noodles around his bowl. “I’m not hungry.” He paused. “May I be excused?”

Blake glared across the table at Beth before nodding. Louis slowly slinked off.

“See, I told you. You’re going to turn him into a communist pussy if you keep coddling him like that.” The corners of his mouth turned down slightly. “Let’s see how he likes cold mac and cheese for breakfast then.”

Beth was careful to not purse her lips to much as she got up to clear the table, carefully packaging up the leftovers and placing them in the refrigerator. While she washed the dishes, her husband took up his normal after-meal residence in front of the television set. Drying her hands, she walked down the hall to the bathroom. Without a thought, she opened the door, startling Louis inside. He stood opposite the mirror, his shirt lifted warily, reveal several dark blue bruises crossing his ribs. The utter fear on his face shook her. Beth stepped inside and carefully closed the door behind her. Reaching out, she turned on the bathroom faucet, then crouched next to him.

As gently as she could, she asked, “Louis, Honey, what happened?”

Louis seemed to shrink before her eyes, clamping his mouth closed and shaking his head. Beth slowly let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding.

“Let me see.” She reached forward but Louis slinked away. Before he could run, a series of loud knocks came from the closed door behind her.

“What’s going on in there?” Blake’s voice boomed into the cramped bathroom. Beth watched Louis’s eyes grow as wide as the dinner dishes, his hand clamped over his mouth. She immediately understood.

“Nothing, dear. Louis just scraped his knee on the playground. I’m making sure there’s no gravel or dirt left in it.” She put her hand on her son’s cheek, wiping away a tear that had started to fall. “Once I’m done, this dirty boy needs a shower.” Beth could almost hear her husband’s mind churn behind the door.

“Make it quick,” he snapped. “I got to take a piss.” Heavy footsteps faded into the distance.

Beth leaned close to her shaking boy. “Dad?” The nod affirmed what she already knew. Her mind flew into action, even as she calmly and steadily held her son for a quick reassuring hug. “Listen to me carefully, okay?” She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. What she saw nearly broke her heart. “I’m going to look you over, to see how bad it is. I’m going to leave you a little something on the counter here to take after your shower. It will help with the pain and let you sleep.” She wiped away another tear. “And don’t worry. I won’t let him take you on that trip. I’ll think of something. Okay? Got it?”

Louis wrapped his little arms around her, squeezing desperately. Reluctantly, she peeled him off. Gently, she removed his clothes, revealing a patchwork of deep bruises along his ribs, hips and thighs. Small streaks of blood stained his Grognak underwear. Beth gingerly applied some healing ointment where she could before warming up the shower. As the water ran, she pulled out a box from the medicine cabinet. Carefully, emptied a part of a syringe into a waiting glass of water. The unused portion of the Calmex syringe stashed in her breast pocket.

“Get undressed and be quick now, Dad’s waiting.” Beth said loudly, so Blake could hear it over the running water. Quieter, she reminded Louis, “Don’t forget to drink this when you are done, my brave man.”

“Yes, Momma.” He hugged her again before letting her leave the bathroom.

Every step Beth took towards the living room changed something inside her. The realization that someone was hurting her precious baby boy, the light of her life, the reason the sun shown so brightly… and that person was sitting on the couch grumbling over the nightly news made her blood boil.

Like every night after dinner, she pulled out some mending to do and sat down next to him. She waited. Louis opened the bathroom door, sticking his head out.

“I’m done.”

Beth nodded to him. “Okay, Kiddo. Get ready for bed, please.”

Blake got up. “Good night, Sport.” Louis disappeared into his bedroom, his father heading to the bathroom.

Without a word, Beth put her work down and went to the small bar along the back wall. Blake needed to have his nightcap ready to calm his nerves for the nightly political debate show. Pouring their best whiskey into a tumbler, she drained the remainder of the Calmex in, mixing it in with a few ice cubes. The glass was waiting on the coffee table for her husband. When he returned, he smiled.

“You know just what I like, babe.”

Beth smiled sweetly. “You’ve trained me well.”

Blake chuckled. “I sure have.” He gave her a little pat on the head as he passed her and sat down, drink in hand.

Beth watched him slowly drain the glass in between stitches, his head drooping even before the second commercial.

“Hey, Honey. You’re looking bushed. Why don’t you go to bed?”

“Yeah. Guess work’s really hitting me hard.” He shrugged. Standing up, he rubbed his forehead. “Don’t keep me waiting too long.”

“Of course, love. I’ll just clean up.”

He grunted, turned the living room light off and headed to the master bedroom.

Beth wasn’t worried. Within ten minutes, she could hear loud snoring from down the hall. She sat in the dark, thinking, the muted television throwing long undulating shadows across the quiet room. Momentarily, she debated grabbing some Mentats from Blake’s nightstand but decided against it. Blake didn’t allow her to indulge in his chems.

_You don’t need have smarts to run the washer and dryer? Or are you just that stupid?_

Besides, if he noticed anything out of place in the morning the plan that was forming in her mind might be in danger.

Once the steps crystallized in her mind, her thoughts turned to her anger. Anger and shame. How had she mistaken the calm in her life for Blake turning his fixation on her son? Did she blissfully miss the signs, thankful that he was no longer leaving those same marks on her? Why did he turn on their prefect innocent child when she was right there the whole time? Dark images reflected in her mind. Realizing had been sitting for hours stewing, she forced herself to get up. Putting the mending away, she took a long swallow Blake’s good whiskey before heading to the bedroom herself. She set her alarm for earlier than normal and slid into the sheets beside her drooling husband, comforted by the fact that her plans always seemed to work out in the end.


End file.
